First Time Plein Air Painting!

I had a truly magical journey into the jungle with my sister artist Zee this weekend., followed by relaxing and playing with some paints I brought along in a clearing by the head of the hike.

I cannot believe this was actually both of our first times painting from nature. We enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous hike through the jungle admiring a variety of ferns, listening to birds calling back and forth right over our heads (which you can hear in the vid below!), and gasping over the brightest greens you can imagine.

We are super excited to do more artsy adventures together and I can’t wait to practice more live plant painting with my gouache paints!

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Now enjoy some incredible jungle bird calls:

4.10.2019

Nude Hiking :: Part 2 (NSFW)

This may seem an odd place to share this adventure, but I have come to look at my blog as a bit of a journal so sharing this incredible experience with fellow art lovers like you seems somehow fitting….

Hopefully you caught this very special blog post from a few weeks ago featuring myself and two of my favorite sister artists hiking a super high ridge line on the Westside of O’ahu. All of the ethereal photos in that post were by my fellow nude hiker and professional photographer friend Stephanie Stein, but today I wanted to share the other photos from that epic day - the ones we snapped on our cell phones while eating lunch, taking photos, and just generally frolicking around.

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As I’m sure you can imagine, this was one of the best, most invigorating, and somehow transformative hikes any of us have ever experienced. To quote Emsy as she was climbing ever higher to stand proudly on teeny ledges jutting out over the valley below, “I’ve never been so naked in my whole life!”

In this artist’s humble opinion, being comfortably naked is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Too often in modern consumerist society we are told about all the imperfections that buying random products can solve without being lauded for who we are naturally.

I mean, it makes sense. It’s hard to sell bullshit to people who are content.

So that’s why it’s ever more important to find joys in our own ways in our own bodies. It’s hard to feel sub par within your body when it makes you feel powerful and exhilarated!

So if you can, try and find an unusual place to be naked soon! Whether you try a naked hike like us, decide to find a secret beach where you can sun your buns, or just sip some tea and read next Sunday’s paper in the buff in your backyard, taking a little time to be naked in nature will make you feel like a whole new person. Would love to hear your experiences in the comments!

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PS. If you’re curious, we hiked in regular clothes until we felt nicely secluded then disrobed and continued on. We also learned that at least shorts are needed on the way back down or else one must be prepared for a very grass-tickled bottom during steep descent areas ;)

2.27.2019

Art Vlog :: New Ventures + Being Grateful on the Kamanaiki Ridge Hike

Join me on the amazing Kamanaiki Ridge overlooking Kalihi Valley, HI while I talk a little about my ongoing projects and what I'm most thankful for (spoiler alerts :: a big one is you guys!!).

I've got some incredible views to share with you, and I've even added in a little bonus photo shoot I had with Jan Galvan not too long ago at the end.

Let me know what you think, should I share more of my artsy photo shoots at the ends of vlogs?

Watch my Happy Hawai''i cards come to life in this 1 min quickie:

https://youtu.be/bbKcHIMFi8o

And snag a set of cards here at the discounted pre-sale rate (with free US shipping!):

https://www.caleighbirdart.com/happy-hawaii-greeting-cards/

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originally published November 22, 2018

Happy Hawai'i Greeting Cards Teaser!

Wowowow!! So excited these cards are in the works! And even more excited that I get to share the whole process with you!!

Hopefully you saw my timelapse video last week of me painting the Happy Hawai’i scenes, of not, no worries because I created this little 1 minute teaser to help get the word out on my latest artistic venture. Yay!

Snag a set of cards here at the discounted pre-sale rate (with free US shipping!):

https://www.caleighbirdart.com/happy-hawaii-greeting-cards/

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originally published November 19, 2018

Tiny House + Outdoor Bathroom Bungalow Tour

Welcome to my tiny house bungalow life! Last week I showed you all the details of my artmaking space + art collection, and this week I'm taking you all on tour of the rest of my tiny house life (including my incredibly beautiful and relaxing outdoor bathroom!) here in gorgeous, sunny Kaimuki, Hawaii.

I feel so fortunate and proud to have this incredible space to create and thrive and now that I finally have things arranged just right I am thrilled to invite you in today:)

If you missed the first part, check it out here

Plus I have a quick 2 minute overview tour here

Check out these incredible shots from an amazing photographer and new friend Amanda, Bee Leigh Imagery, that just visited my bungalow about two weeks ago. Stay tuned for more shots from that glowing morning on my blog next week!

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originally published May 30, 2018

Art Studio Tour + My Art Collection

Welcome to my Art Studio Tour! Yay! I have been wanting to show you all my tiny house abode for so long, but you know we artists like to have everything just right before we're ready to show 'n tell....

Today I am going to share with you all the details about my art making area as well as my tiny desk and art I've collected from other artists. Then next week I will have another vid sharing more about my tiny house bungalow life and the super quaint town of Kaimuki, O'ahu where I live and work. (Update: Here’s my tiny house + outdoor bathroom)

And if you missed the quickie 2 Minute tour of my entire spot from last week, have a peek right here.

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originally published May 23, 2018

Artist Vlog :: Nude Figure Modeling + New Art + Epic Hawaii Hike

Hi friends! It's been a while since I've just sat down and given you the skinny on all the latest Nest happenings so join me today as I get overly excited and bubbly about trying new things;)

If you like hearing about the less-glamorous but more intimate sides of being a working artist, jump on my Birds of a Feather newsletter here or at the the end of this blog post post to get my monthly letter all about my personal happenings I only share in the Nest. 

I don't want to say another word and spoil the show - enjoy!!

If you want to see more epic Hawai'i hike photos check out my blog post from earlier this week here. 

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originally published May 2, 2018

Epic Hawaii Hike :: Lanipo Ridge

Wow friends, my mind is still swimming from the amazing hike I had the other day with one of my closest girls, Baila. We hiked to an extremely high point where the Lanipo Mau'umae finger ridge meets what we refer to as the Mother Mountain, which is the main ridge that runs from the south to north shore. 

Since O'ahu was formed by a series of active volcanoes,  the ridge hikes are comprised of the pyroclastic flow which created steep and narrow mountains all over the island. From what I understand many trails were used by native Hawai'ians and Polynesians for centuries, then used by the US army for lookouts, infrastructure, and training, and now mostly used by hikers.

The Hawai'ian government keeps a lot of land untouched and even sanctions dozens of hikes all over the island that will take you to another world, yet will start less than 20-30 minutes from your own home. Hiking out here is beyond incredible. 

Ripe strawberry guava along the way - yummm!!

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Oh the ferns..... 

To sum it up, this was a 6.6 mile (7.5 hours) there-and-back hike. The pinnacle reached the mother mountain and we were gifted a view of around 75-80% of the island. I have never had a view like that in my life so far and since I had been feeling a little studio rut lately, it was just what I needed to gain a little clarity. 

Overlooking the Ka'au Crater just behind me and a gorgeous waterfall cutting through the ridgeline

[UPDATE: I featured this hike on my YouTube Studio Vlog right here with some amazing footage I took at the peak. ]

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originally published May 30, 2018

Tiny House Tour + Breakup Vlog

Hi friends.... I know what you're probably thinking... 'what a weird combination to have in a video...' but, simple answer, sometimes life is weird. 

I've been living in this quaint, sunny, breezy, tiny house in the back of the Palolo Valley on O'ahu next to an Ornate Buddhist Temple for almost two years now, and have been toying with the idea of doing a house tour ever since I started my YouTube channel. The timing was never right or other things took precedence (yada yada), so wouldn't you know it when I split with Tim, the boyfriend I moved out here with, I suddenly felt the need to document the adorable space I had spent so much time in since early 2016 before I have to move on. 

I talk a bit more about the breakup in the vid, but bottom line is that it's thankfully amicable and Tim will remain one of my closest and favorite people indefinitely. We have a deep love and respect for each other, even if we make better friends than partners.

And my house and the neighboring temple are freakin' awesome! Enjoy!!

And here's a few snapshots of the temple - check out that detail! Everything is hand painted all over the building in such vibrant color! 

Sunflower Field Adventure!

You guuuuys..... look where I got to spend my afternoon yesterday right up in Haleiwa on North Shore, O'ahu! In a HUUUUUGE sunflower field doing a fun photo shoot with my friend Reggie (keep an eye out for those incredible pics once he's done editing!!). 

Access to the fields are pretty limited, but Reggie found out he had an 'in' super last minute so around 11 pm Wednesday night I get a text from him saying, 'Hey you wanna be my model for a sunset sunflower field shoot tomorrow?' I'm like, 'Duh! Abso-freakin-lutely!' 

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Look at the incredible mathematically precise intricacies mother nature has hidden all over these sunflowers! You can click to enlarge, and I urge you to do so - it's breathtaking. Also, don't be surprised if some sunflowers show up in an upcoming painting - hint, hint, wink wink:) 

Such a surreal place to be!

 These are a few I snapped on my iPhone - just wait til you see my shoot with the pro! Yowza!!

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originally published November 10, 2017